


Gratuitous Bubble Bath

by Pfain Ryder (Cat_Moon)



Category: Quantum Leap
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2020-07-20 15:49:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19994755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cat_Moon/pseuds/Pfain%20Ryder
Summary: You know what they say about assumptions... as Sam finds out when he misinterprets this leap-in.  He makes some revelations and tries to keep a secret from Al.





	Gratuitous Bubble Bath

**Author's Note:**

> Originally published in “Wham Bam, Thank You, Sam” #5. 1996.

When the sensation of quantum leaping faded and Sam Beckett could take stock of his surroundings, he found himself chest deep in a large, heart-shaped tub filled with warm water and bubbles.

Not the worst way to leap in... but not many men took bubble baths, and he always hated it when he leaped into a woman. It always brought complications he could do without. Leaping through time was hazardous enough as it was.

He was alone in the bathroom though, and always grateful for small favors, he heaved a heartfelt sigh of relief. From the stillness in the air he deduced he was alone. No one there to make any demands on him before he'd figured out who he was and what role he was there to play. Figuring he'd earned a few quite moments to himself, he leaned back in the tub and let the warm water relax him.

All good things must come to an end, usually too soon. Mere moments later he heard a screen door slam.

“Honey, I'm home,” a too-male voice called.

“Oh, no,” Sam groaned. Before he had time to do anything else, the man appeared in the doorway.

He was about six feet tall, with long, dark hair, a slight beard and a mustache. He worse blue overalls with the name 'Tim' on a patch over his pocket.

“Hey, baby,” The newcomer grinned at him. The grin was way too friendly for Sam's comfort.

“Uh, yeah, hi,” Sam said weakly, sinking down a little further in the water.

The man paused as if expecting Sam to say more, than spoke again. “Well, I gotta get out of these greasy clothes.” He turned and left the room.

Sam heard him in the other room, apparently changing out of his work clothes. His eyes scanned the bathroom for any signs of clothing he could put on, but found none. There was a towel hanging on the rack, though, and he'd just decided to take a chance and run for it, when his 'friend' came back into the room.

Wearing nothing but a smile.

“Oh, boy...” Sam moaned, feeling trapped. “I, uh, should go--”

He was cornered in the small bathroom, no escape possible without getting up real close and personal. He prayed, but it did no good. Tim stepped into the tub with him. Sam tried to make himself as small as possible, shrinking into his corner of the tub...while trying not to appear obvious about it. He didn't want to wreck a relationship... but there were limits to what he was prepared to do for a leap.

“I hope you didn't start without me,” Tim said with a grin. “You know how much I look forward to this.”

“Start without you?” Sam heard his voice squeak.

Horrified, he watched as Tim reached over and grabbed a pink razor from the ledge of the tub. He jumped when the man gently grasped his leg, lifting it onto his thigh.

“I think it can wait another day,” Sam insisted, feeling his face heat up in embarrassment.

“You promised,” Tim reminded him with a little boy pout. Without giving Sam a chance to argue further, he began lathering up the leg. When he was done, he moved closer, lifted it onto his shoulder, and began shaving Sam's leg.

Humiliated beyond compare, Sam stoically suffered the ministrations. He'd leaped into plenty of women, had to occasionally wear a bra and girdle—not to mention high heels and plunging neckline—but never had he been forced to shave his legs. Sure, body builders did it...he remembered Al teasing him upon discovering that the farm kid from Indiana had just assumed you needed to be naturally hairless to get into professional weight training competition.

And speaking of Al, thank god the hologram hadn't shown up yet. Sam knew if caught in this position he'd _never_ hear the end of it.

Tim looked like he was enjoying himself, a soft smile lit his features as he worked. To Sam it just felt kinky. Tim was being careful though, and his surprisingly smooth hands glided over Sam's leg to wash away the soap.

By the time he'd started on the other leg, Sam was resigned to his fate and trying to relax. But his nervousness came back again when Tim's free hand slid up his thigh, caressing a little too close for comfort. He was done with the shaving and apparently ready to start other, more intimate activities.

Tim's hand accidentally brushed a part of Sam's anatomy that he had no idea was there, and Sam had had enough.

He jumped up from the tub, and out, grabbing a towel. “Uh, thanks, Tim, but I gotta go...go...start dinner now.” He ran from the room.

In the safety of the bedroom, Sam began pulling open drawers to find something to put on. Grabbing almost the first thing he came to, he pulled on a pair of jeans and t shirt, not caring if it wasn't his hosts usual style of dress. He could hear Tim humming in the other room, the sounds telling him Tim had decided to finish his bath.

Feeling marginally better now that he was dressed and away from the compromising situation, Sam explored the rest of the house. He discovered it was actually a very nice mobile home, in the woods with no visible neighbors.

No one to hear his screams for help, was his semi-hysterical conclusion when contemplating the prospect of spending the entire night with the amorous Tim.

Needing to keep occupied, Sam went into the kitchen and started doing what he'd told Tim he would: fixing dinner. There seemed to be some leftovers in the refrigerator, so he dumped everything into a frying pan and started heating it.

Unfortunately, it wasn't a very good distraction. The unfamiliar feeling of his newly shaved legs against the inside of his jeans was a very strange sensation indeed, one he'd never experienced before. Vividly reminded of his current predicament, his mind drifted back to the bubble bath. The feel of a man's large hands smoothly caressing his skin...

The unmistakable and terrifying hint of arousal he'd felt when that hand had strayed...

Sam jumped again, this time when arms went around him from behind and lips nuzzled his neck.

“Oh, damn.” At the incongruous oath, Sam looked back at Tim questioningly. “I forgot to pick up the milk.”

“Oh,” Sam said, for want of something more original. He steadfastly refused to admit that the touch had felt good.

“I'll run down to Cumberland Farms an get a quart. Be back in a few.” With one last kiss...this time to Sam's surprised lips, Tim was gone out the door.

Sam felt like a hurricane had just left the room. It was he eye of the storm, and things were temporarily calm. Only they wouldn't remain that way. His thoughts were in turmoil, but he was too much the scientist to ignore the facts. He _had_ started to get turned on by what was happening.

What would happen tonight? They seemed like an affectionate couple, would Tim expect...? Brutally honest, Sam admitted to himself that he wouldn't mind charting this new territory. There was one big problem with that, though. He replaced the person he'd leaped into, but everyone saw the person they expected to see, the illusion of their physical aura. Tim would be expecting his body to fit with his... girlfriend? He wasn't wearing a ring, so it was a reasonable assumption. Frankly, Sam didn't see how it could work out. Experiment he might be willing and anxious to do, but there were limits. He wasn't ready to have that virginal part of him violated. Especially by a virtual stranger.

All in all, it was looking to be a leap of frustration.

As he stirred the food thoughtfully, he heard the sound of the Imaging Chamber door. Al was finally arriving. He turned toward the sound expectantly.

“Hi Sam,” Al greeted, puffing on his cigar as he stepped out of the doorway and closed it behind him. “Got here as soon as I could.”

He was probably expecting an impatient complaint, as Sam often did. He had no way of knowing that in this particular case, Sam was glad he hadn't shown up until now.

“What am I here to do, Al?”

“What, are you in a hurry already?” Sam didn't bother answering, so he turned his attention to the handlink in his hand. “Okay, your name is Gregory Armstead, and you're in Louisville, Kentucky. You--”

“Gregory?!” Sam pounced on the gender of the name. “Are you sure?” He felt himself becoming hysterical again, but didn't know exactly why.

“Yes, I'm sure. Why--”

Sam wasn't listening. He dropped what he was doing and ran into the bedroom. In his earlier haste to flee, he hadn't bothered checking out his reflection in the mirror.

It was definitely a male face that stared back at him now. “I'm a man.” A bunch of new, more pleasing possibilities sprang to his mind.

“You didn't know?” Al asked in confusion.

“I...I mean, uh, well...”

Al's eyes narrowed and he peered intently at his partner. “What's going on here, Sam?”

“I was taking a bubble bath when I leaped in,” Sam admitted. Hopefully, a half-truth would appease the hologram. “So I just assumed...” He wondered if the fact that Gregory was gay was one that would be revealed by Ziggy. “What am I here to do?” he repeated in the hopes of distracting Al.

“We don't know yet, Ziggy is still running scenarios,” Al told him as they both returned to the kitchen, Al through the wall and Sam the old fashioned way, through the doorway.

Sam checked his cooking, relieved it hadn't burned. “Well, you might as well go back until he comes up with something. There's nothing going on here.” _Yet._

“Okay, I'll check in later.”

“No, that's okay,” Sam struggled to sound nonchalant. “Why don't you take the night off? Spend some time with Tina. I'm just gonna grab a bite, watch some TV then hit the...uh, go to sleep.”

“You sure?” Al asked, looking like he was trying to decide whether Sam was up to something or not.

“Positive.”

XXX

Sam thought about what he was doing just long enough to decide that he really did want to try it. He was afraid if he thought about it for too long, he'd chicken out.

Although by dinnertime he was sure Tim wouldn't have let him. All though the meal, their feet and toes played under the table. It gave Sam a naughty thrill. The looks they shared were full of promise. He felt his excitement building until, by the time they'd finished eating and cleared away the dishes, he was fully ready to go further along this new path.

Sam didn't know why he'd never experimented like this before... or had he? The leaping had erased his memory, so he truly didn't know what he'd been like before. He could very possibly have been bisexual. He didn't think he'd been outright gay, since his attraction to the females he met on his leaps seemed to negate that. He wondered if amnesia could make one _forget_ their true sexuality...

“You wanna watch TV?” Tim asked with a teasing grin that said he knew better.

“I”m kind of tired...” Sam played along, swallowing the butterflies in his stomach. “Rather just--”

“Go to bed?”

“Yeah,” he whispered.

Tim took his hand and led him into the bedroom. It was winter, so it was already dark even though it was only a little after five. Tim didn't bother turning on a light, for which Sam was glad. He was new at this, and slightly self-conscious.

Tim slipped his arms around Sam and drew him close for a kiss. This time, Sam didn't bolt. He let it happen, let his mouth open for the questing tongue. Part of his mind felt detached from what was happening, observing from a neutral corner. Another, scientific part, cataloged the sensations, the rough touch of beard that wasn't half as annoying as he would've thought. The warm mouth and tongue, like any other.

However, the hardness that pressed into him was quite specifically male. He returned the pressure, felt his own shift and harden as what was happening inside his mouth became a promise of pleasures to come.

They undressed each other, and Sam congratulated himself for handling this so well. Let Al try and call him a prude, _now_.

The thought of Al was an abrupt intrusion, and he fervently prayed the hologram wouldn't show up... at least not until after.

Then his traitorous mind turned to Al's dark eyes, how endless and mysterious and compelling they could seem. Eyes that could sparkle with amusement, bleed with tears, smolder with passion...

Thinking of Al while Tim's hands roamed over his body was definitely a turn on. Sam closed his eyes and cupped Tim's ass, pulling their bodies together. The pleasure flared and he let out groan.

“The bed...” Tim murmured, leading them over where they collapsed in a tumble of limbs.

It felt glorious, writhing on the bed, bodies rubbing and stimulating each other. Tim leaned down to tongue Sam's neck, his mouth roaming Sam's chest with licks and light bites. Sam threw his head back, letting the pleasure overtake him and concentrating only on that. He wanted to reciprocate but lacked the practical knowledge. He could only let his fingers telegraph desire.

Taking the initiative, Sam reached down and for the first time in his life—that he could remember—he touched another man's penis. He felt the contours of it, amazed when it grew larger in his hand. He'd pleasured many women in his time, but never had a man's body responded to him this way. It was an intoxicating feeling of power.

“Let's just do _this_ ,” he breathed to Tim, wanting it to last, not wanting to spoil it with the insecurity of getting into something in which he was grossly out of his element. “Feels so good...” he moaned as Tim's hand joined his, helping to drive the heat onward.

They built a rhythm, rocking back and forth on the bed. The springs squeaked slightly in time, and instead of making him feel sleazy as he would've thought, it was incredibly erotic.

The squeaking intensified, grew faster until it was almost one continuous sound, drowned out by their mutual groans and cries. It was more than just physical release, Sam felt his freedom letting loose, embracing the darkness he'd always feared. There was nothing to be afraid of here. It was just love.

He came first, unable to prolong this new, fantastic experience. He cried out and shuddered, feeling it not just in his cock, but in every fiber of his being. A moment later there was the strange sensation of a man ejaculating against his body.

Too wiped out to do more than grin, Sam accepted the wet kiss bestowed upon him, and fell blissfully asleep.

XXX

When Sam cracked one eye open the next morning, the sun was filtering in from the blinds on the window. He opened the other eye, squinting until he became accustomed to the brightness.

While he waited, he took stock of himself. Did he feel different? Yeah, he felt well spent, relaxed and better than he could ever remember feeling in any of his leaping mornings. He acknowledged to himself that other than that, he _didn't_ feel any different about himself. He was the same person he'd always been. And he wasn't ashamed or sorry.

He did feel differently about the world. The sun shone a little brighter this morning, the day held more possibilities and promise. Stripped of his blindness, he felt himself bursting with energy.

The bed stirred and Sam turned to smile at Tim, who was just waking with a huge yawn. “Good morning,” he murmured. He didn't even feel awkward. It was incredibly liberating. “Sleep well?”

Tim grinned back. “Like a baby.” He moved into Sam's arms and they greeted each other with a thorough kiss.

When they broke for air, Sam decided he was in the mood for some further exploring. The thought of making love with this wonderful masculine body in the sunny light of day was _very_ appealing.

“You don't have to leave for work _yet_ , do you?” Sam asked in a throaty voice.

“What do you have in mind, babe,” Tim countered, his hands already starting to stray down Sam's chest.

Instead of telling him, Sam showed him. And it was just as fantastic in the daylight.

XXX

Sam was dozing pleasantly, having gotten Tim off to work... as well as in another way. And more than once. He'd just gotten around to wondering if he also had a job to go to, when Al popped in.

His appearance sobered Sam slightly. He wondered if Al knew what had taken place, but his demeanor was the same as always and his face was free of accusation or suspicion. He greeted Sam as if it was just another routine leap.

“Morning, Sam.”

“Good morning. Hey, do I have a job?” he asked.

“Yeah, you work afternoons at a florists.”

“Great,” Sam replied, sinking back against the pillows, grateful for some time to relax. He hoped he didn't look too much like he'd just had sex. He was thankful holograms couldn't smell. “Did you sleep well?” Sam inquired politely.

Al's grin became lecherous. “Well, as a matter of fact, I didn't get much...sleep.”

_Neither did I._ Sam bit his tongue on that reply, mind already thinking about how he might put that look on Al's face someday. “I don't wanna hear about it!” he gave his usual reply. “Did you find out what I'm here to do yet?”

Al glanced down at the link then back to Sam. “As a matter of fact, you've already done it.”

“Huh?” Sam gaped, sitting up.

“Apparently, your just being here changed something. Your roommate Tim originally left for work early this morning. He was opening up the motorcycle shop he manages and was intercepted by a masked gunman who robbed and stabbed him. Since he wasn't there when the robber was lurking around, the guy targeted a convenience store instead... Except there was a plainclothes cop inside, and he was arrested without anyone getting hurt.”

“That's great,” Sam muttered, feeling his face heat up. When Tim had left for work in the original timeline, they'd been in the middle of making love for the second time that morning.

“You should be leaping any time, buddy.”

Sam gazed at Al as he felt the leap effect begin. He wondered if the innocent act was genuine, or if Al knew what had been going on.

And when he leaped out, he was happily planning Al Calavicci's seduction.

The end


End file.
